Jan. 8, 2009—Brianne Parra (Sr., Justice, Ill./Argo) scored her 1,000^th career point as the North Central College women's basketball team concluded their non-conference slate with a 73-63 win over Monmouth College (Ill.) inside Gregory Arena. Jackie Errico (So., Blue Island, Ill./Marian Catholic) led the Cardinals with her third double-double of the season in a game that saw eight lead changes and eight ties.

With the Cardinals holding a tenuous 55-54 lead, Jackie Errico made a three the old fashioned way, converting the layup and picking up the foul, sparking a 7-0 run to increase the lead to eight with 3:38 to play. The Scots would make a late charge, coming within three points twice, but could not withstand the Cardinals who converted seven of their final eight free throws down the stretch to seal the game.

Parra, who entered the contest with 999 career points, scored the game's first bucket as the Cardinals stormed to an early 5-0 lead. The Fighting Scots would answer scoring the next nine points, taking the four-point lead. Both teams would trade punches with North Central heading into the break with a 29-28 advantage in a first half that saw six lead changes and three ties.

Errico led the way for North Central, racking up 17 points and 10 boards, shooting a perfect seven-for-seven from the charity stripe. Jessica Davis (Jr., Chicago, Ill./Whitney Young) and Meghan McGuire (So., Elgin, Ill./Central) each came off the bench and ended the night in double figures, scoring 13 and 14, respectively. Amber Cibrario (Sr., Elk Grove Village, Ill./Elk Grove) finished with a game-high five assists while chipping in eight points. Parra, who received a standing ovation from the Gregory Arena faithful after hitting her 1,000 point, ended the night with four points. She now has 1,003 points in her career and is just the 11^th Cardinal to surpass the 1,000 point barrier.

Tanesha Hughes led the Fighting Scots, finishing with a game-high 23 points and finishing one rebound shy of a double-double. Teammate Melissa Gorski scored 20 points after making 10 trips to the free throw line while Alison Andrews chipped in 14.

The Cardinals shot a red-hot 57.1 percent (four-for-seven) from the three point line in the first half, but were unable to find the rhythm behind the arc in the second half, missing all six attempts.

With the win, North Central improves to 5-5 while Monmouth falls to 5-5. Thursday's game was the first meeting between the two schools and was the Fighting Scots first loss of the season to a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin foe. The Scots had defeated both Augustana and North Park earlier in the year. North Central returns to the hardwood on Saturday, January 10, where they will begin CCIW play, taking on Wheaton College. Tip-off at Gregory Arena is slated for 2 p.m.